Link Love, March 8

My friends, I am officially Oscar’d-out; I can no longer tell the difference between a Best Dress and a Worst Dress. So I will move on to my weekly links. Today we have quirky landmarks, a genealogy freebie and two New York City events of note.

Obscura Day is Coming! March 20! Yes, there is still time to prepare. No, it has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar. It is an international festival of strange, interesting landmarks, each of which will offer a public event on the big day. Some are of interest to genealogists; some are just off the charts. In London, you can trace the course of the long-lost River Fleet; in Boston, you can tour Jamaica Plain’s Forest Hills Cemetery. I don’t know what it says about Philadelphia that they’ve got two bizarre sites on offer, but there you go. You could even organize your own event in your town, if you want. It’s all facilitated by Atlas Obscura, an online compendium of “wondrous, curious and esoteric” places.

Free 1930 U.S. census: In a world where there is no such thing as free lunch, it’s nice to find a free census. This is NOT searchable by keyword or name; you have to browse it the old-fashioned way, page by page. However, it is free. (h/t to Pat Connors of the NY-Irish genealogy listserve.)

And for those of us in the neighborhood, check out these two upcoming genealogy lectures in NYC:

Researching Criminal Relatives: Presenter Ron Arons, author of the book The Jews of Sing Sing, discusses how to track down relatives on the wrong side of the law. Free; 5:30-6:30 PM Tuesday, March 16, South Court Classrooms of the Stephen Schwarzman Building, New York Public Library, 5th Avenue at 42nd Street. The NYPL has more about it on their Facebook page (click on the Wall tab).

Basics and Beyond: This afternoon-long seminar hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. includes presentations from genealogists on censuses and vital records, research organization, goal-setting and online research. The seminar is organized in two tracks, one for beginners and one for more experienced researchers. 1 to 5 PM, Sunday, April 11, 130 East 59th Street, Manhattan. Registration is required; for details see www.jgsny.org.

Last-minute update: Omigosh, NPR has a story about a fish that has lived in a New York City pet store since 1970. Is this the oldest fish in New York City? Is there a genealogy angle? The answers are (A) Maybe; and (B) No, there is not. It’s just too strange to pass up. (h/t westchesterdead)

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One Comment on “Link Love, March 8”

After careful perusal of the 1014 pages of the free 1930 census of my hometown, I got nothin’. For some reason, this document started with the 5th Ward; my 90-year-old mother told me she and my father had grown up in the 2nd ward. Since her info is not always as reliable as it used to be, I searched each of 1014 pages anyways. A bunch of streets were “around the corner” from the old neighborhood. Found my dad’s best friend. But couldn’t find the ward and streets where my relatives lived. Oh well. Thanks for the tip anyways. Now I know what you’re talking about when you say how frustrating this stuff can be! I’ll just have to be content with the info my mom gave me, which is “they all worked at the shoe factory.”